1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image forming apparatus, and more particularly to, for example, an image forming apparatus that is constituted to efficiently control the shift of sheets on which images are formed with the apparatus using the electrophotographic process.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, image forming apparatus such as copying machines comprise image forming means for recording on a sheet such as paper an image read by a reader portion etc., and art of shift stacking the sheets by shifting one copy from another in the case where a sorting function is used on condition that the number of sheets per one copy is two or more, and the numeral (the number of copies) is two or more, has been developed.
With this art, a trouble of searching a boundary between copies can be omitted in the image forming process for a plurality of copies, which provides a greater convenience for users.
However, with the conventional image forming apparatus described above, when the sorting function is turned on, the shifting function is performed even on condition that there is no heed of shift stacking operation in which the number of sheets per one copy is one and the number of the numeral is two or more.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suspending a shifting function of sheets when the shifting function is not required in a shift stacking mode of the sorted sheets, which improves the convenience for users.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
an image forming device for forming an image on a sheet;
a tray for stacking the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming device;
a shifting device for shifting the sheet for each copy to stack the sheet on the tray; and
a control device for controlling a shift operation of the shifting device in a shift mode;
wherein the control device controls the shifting device in such a manner that the control device does not conduct the shift operation when the number of the sheets per one copy is one while the control device conducts the shift operation when the number of the sheets per one copy is two or more.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
an automatic original reading device for automatically feeding and reading the original;
an image forming device for forming an image on the basis of image information of the original;
a tray for stacking the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming device;
a shifting device for shifting the sheets for each copy to stack the sheet on the tray; and
a control device for controlling a shift operation of the shifting device in a shift mode;
wherein the a control device controls the shifting device in such a manner that the control device does not conduct the shift operation when the number of the sheets per one copy is one while the control device conduct the shift operation when the number of the sheets per one copy is two or more on the basis of the number of sheets on which the image is formed by the image forming device to be output depending on a number of pages of the original read by the automatic original reading device and an image formation mode.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
a data storage device for storing the image data;
an image forming device for forming an image on the basis of the image data in the data storage device;
an operating portion for setting each kind of mode for forming the image by the image forming device;
a tray for stacking the sheet on which the image is formed by the image forming device;
a shifting device for shifting the sheet for each copy to stack the sheet on the tray; and
a control device for controlling a shift operation of the shifting device in a shift mode;
wherein the control device controls the shifting device in such a manner that the control device does not conduct the shift operation when the number of sheets per one copy is one while the control device conducts the shift operation when the number of sheets per one copy is two or more in accordance with the content stored in the data storage device and an image processing condition set by the operating portion.
It may be better that the control device controls the shifting device so that the operating portion does not receive the selection of the shifting device in accordance with the content stored in the data storage device and the image processing condition set by the operating portion when the number of sheets per one copy is one.
In a mode in which images on a plurality of originals are formed on one sheet even when the number of originals are two or more and the numeral is two or more, a number of sheets per one copy is one with the result that it would be better that the control device does not conduct the shift operation.
In a mode in which an image on one original is formed by dividing the image into two sheets when a number of the originals is one and the numeral is two or more, a number of the sheets per one copy is two, and it would be better that the control device conducts the shift operation.
An operator can arbitrarily set the shift mode.
It may be better that the shift mode is automatically set when the numeral is two or more.
The tray comprises a treatment tray and a stack tray. It may be better that the sheet is fed one by one to the treatment tray, and the sheet bundle is shifted on the treatment tray to be discharged to the stack tray.
It may be better that the sheet on the treatment tray is shifted in a direction intersecting the feeding direction by alignment means. On the other hand, it may be better that the stack tray is gradually lowered in accordance with the stack of the sheet bundle.
On the basis of the structure described above, the image forming apparatus has a function of shifting (sorting) the sheet on which images are formed by the image forming device. When the sheets are shift-stacked on the tray, the shifting of unnecessary sheets can be avoided by controlling the operation of shifting sheets as to whether the shifting is performed or not depending upon the number of sheets. For example, under a condition in which a number of sheets per one copy is one and a numeral is two or more, the invention makes it possible not to conduct a shift stacking operation so that a user""s convenience is improved.
As has been described above, according to the present invention, the shift stacking of unnecessary sheets can be avoided with the result that the convenience for users can be improved.